Abstract: A process for chlorination of methylated aromatic compounds in a titanium tetrachloride is disclosed. The ring chlorination is first carried out by reacting said methylated aromatic compounds with chlorine gas under reduced light conditions, and then the side chain chlorination is carried out by reacting the resulting mixture with chlorine gas under light irradiation conditions. The process ensures continuous chlorination of aromatic rings and side chains of methylated aromatic compounds at a high yield without using any catalysts or perilous solvents such as carbon tetrachloride.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing a p-halogenobenzophenone derivative of a high purity in a high yield at a low cost in the presence of a repeatedly usable catalyst having a long life and free from the problem of waste water treatment without using any chemical of a strong toxicity. According to the present invention, the p-halogenobenzophenone derivative is produced by reacting an (un)substituted benzotrichloride of the following formula (I) with a halogenobezene of the following formula (II) in the presence of a catalyst selected from the group consisting of alumina, nickel sulfate, zirconium oxide, amorphous silica/alumina and a mixture of two or more of them or a catalyst obtained by treating these compounds with an acid and hydrolyzing the resulting bisphenyldichloromethane of the following formula (III): ##STR1## wherein X represents a halogen atom or a hydrogen atom and Y represents a halogen atom.